2022 - 20 Years of Magic! Celebrated with a record-breaking edition by fan response the first 20 years of Vallemaggia Magic Blues!

Now consigned to the archives, edition number 20 of Vallemaggia Magic Blues surpassed in attendance even the star-studded 18th edition, thanks to the excellent performances of almost all the biggies, from Mike Zito to Nine Below Zero, from Big Daddy Wilson to Justina Lee Brown, from Philipp Fankhauser to the Quireboys, not forgetting the Mandolin' Brothers, Freddie & the Cannonballs and the closing with three great female voices, Chiara Ruggeri , Lisa Doby and Sari Schorr.!

The Producing Team's decision to offer only musicians who had already performed at the Vallemaggia Magic Blues, fishing in the cauldron of the best, allowed fans to reacquaint themselves with some great stars of the devil's music and also to measure qualitative evolutions or on the contrary show certain setbacks or problems of another nature. We can safely say that almost all musicians and groups responded great, without hiding that more could have been expected from Popa Chubby and the "Queen of Magic Blues" Dana Fuchs. The former confirmed that he no longer had the inventiveness and perhaps the desire (given his physical problems) to renew himself and return to being what he was in the early 2000s, the latter did not confirm all the good things we had been able to admire the other two times he performed in the valley. The fans however "forgave" and gave them warm applause, especially to the "King of New York Blues" Popa Chubby. 

Record number of spectators, more than 1700 in Gordevio, for Philipp Fankhauser, confirmed as a great entertainer, who does not seem to feel the passing years. The evening was rounded out to greatness by the increasingly convincing group of Freddie & the Canonnballs, with a splendid Mattia Mantello on guitar, second, in the list of guitarists who performed, only to his majesty Mike Zito, author of the best concert of the festival, practically perfect. 

This edition also confirmed the quality of the opening bands, often equal if not superior to the big names on the lineup. An example for all, the Mandolin' Brothers, rightly considered by critics to be the best Italian Roots rock and Americana group (and to think that they are not professional musicians, unbelievable!), who actually "saved" the first night in Maggia. The Nine Below Zero, also in Maggia, reintroduced, without smearing, their sanguine Pub rock, playing with the same energy as 40 years ago! 

The 4th European Blues Night presented three groups all equally good from the duo Veronica and Max, to Nothing Toulouse and Justina Lee Brown, confirmed, along with Freddie & the Cannonballs, now among the most valid proposals on the Swiss scene, and not only. 

Classic rock Night confirmed the value of the Luca Princiotta Band, which seemed even tougher than last year. The Quireboys, very convincing, showed how with the passing of the years one can transform one's music into something different, closer to Southern Rock sounds, while keeping their Rock'n'Roll roots firm. 

After the long kermesse of the special evening for the 20th, the evening of female vocalists, which closed the review, allowed us to admire a very matured Chiara Ruggeri and a band, the DimeBlend up to the task of competing with a splendid Lisa Doby (beautiful show very calibrated and incredible voices) and a wild and powerful Sari Schorr, whom we can already crown as the new "Queen of the Magic Blues." 

The Producing Team is now already at work laying the groundwork for the next edition, which will kick off on Friday, July 7, 2023, in Brontallo, with the intention of modifying, without upsetting anything, the setting of the event, to make it even better for the many fans, who have been supporting the Vallemaggia Magic Blues for 20 years. And so long live the Blues, long live the Magic blues !